bleak, blustery, and baking

This is what Monday looks like in northern Illinois today.

Bare trees, gray skies, cold and windy.

 And did I mention snow? Yeah, that stuff too. It's mostly swirling around in

the air and not sticking to the ground, which is fine with me. That means

easier driving and no shoveling. Guess I shouldn't be shoveling anyway

with the shoulder injury. I had my second physical therapy appointment

today and it went well, though I'm a little sore right now. I also have yoga

class tonight, so we'll see how that goes. Oh - and this area in the photo below

is the entrance to my house. I repurposed these broken iron trellis archway

 pieces as vine trellises. If I'm in the mood, I'll wrap some little white lights

around them for Christmas.

 

 I made homemade cinnamon rolls on Saturday evening. Dangerous stuff!

I delivered a couple to one of Tim's nearby friends who was in the middle of

 writing a research paper, and I sent more to work with Brian today. Here they

on the second rising...

After they came out of the oven...

 

And after I frosted them too heavily while they were still warm...

 

 BREAD MACHINE CINNAMON ROLLS

1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

2 eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup butter, melted

4-1/2 cups bread flour

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup white sugar

2-1/2 tsp. active dry yeast

Cinnamon-sugar mixture:

1 cup packed brown sugar

2-1/2 T. ground cinnamon

1/3 cup butter, softened

Frosting

3 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup butter, softened

1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/8 cup milk or cream

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Place ingredients in bread machine in the order listed in recipe. Select dough

cycle and press start. When cycle is finished, let the dough double in size in

the machine. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; cover and let rest for 10

min. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.

Roll dough into a 16x21" rectangle. Spread dough with the 1/3 cup softened

butter and sprinkle evenly with the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture. Roll dough

up jelly-roll style and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13

pan (I needed more than one pan); cover and let rise until nearly doubled,

about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F/200 C.

Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 min. While rolls are

baking, make frosting: beat together the cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, 

confectioners' sugar, milk or cream, and vanilla extract. Spread frosting

on warm rolls and try to eat just one! Fall into fat and sugar coma.

Happy Monday, everyone.